1. Technical Field
The present application relates to the testing of integrated circuits, including the testing of memory devices.
2. Related Art
The manufacturing of integrated circuits involves processing a wafer through a series of fabrication steps in order to fabricate multiple integrated circuits on the wafer. Once the wafer has been processed, the wafer is cut into individual integrated circuits, which can then undergo further processing involving various bonding and packaging steps. However, it is desirable to test the operation of the integrated circuits before use. In some cases, the integrated circuits can be tested before the wafer is cut. Additionally or alternatively, the integrated circuits can be tested after the bonding and packaging steps. Such tests are typically made in order to verify various electrical properties of the integrated circuits. The information from these tests can be fed into a computer, which compares the test results with information stored in its memory, and render a decision regarding the acceptability of the integrated circuit.
Since integrated circuits are tested individually, testing is a time consuming process. Thus, considerable effort has been put into improving the efficiency of the testing process. However, despite such efforts, there remains a need for further improvement in the efficiency of the testing of integrated circuits.